JPH0413115B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a robot vision device, and more specifically, among robot vision devices that detect the position and orientation of a workpiece in assembly work by a robot, it is particularly applicable to a robot vision device. The present invention relates to a visual device suitable for attachment to the hand of a person.

[Prior art]

Conventionally, the method for detecting the position of an object is to uniformly illuminate the entire object, convert this optical image into an electrical signal using an imaging device such as a TV camera, and convert this electrical signal into a certain reference signal. The image signal is originally binarized and this binarized image signal is processed.
However, with this device, the color or brightness of the surface of the object is significantly different from the background, and it is necessary to separate and extract only the object on the image by binarization. Also,
This device cannot detect the position in the depth direction, so when a robot must grasp an object or attach parts to it, such as during assembly work, the object must be at a known distance from the detector. No. Therefore, the above-mentioned apparatus using binary images has the disadvantage that the objects to be worked on are limited.

In addition, “A” is used for automatic welding by robots.
Visual Sensor for Arc−Welding Robots”
Bamba, T., etal., 11th Int.Symp.on
There is a device, disclosed in Industrial Robots, pp. 151-158 (1981), which attaches a light-cutting detection head to the hand of a robot and automatically detects the welding position by processing the detected light-cutting general shape. However, this device has the disadvantage that it cannot be used for assembly work because the work target is limited to groove-shaped objects.

Furthermore, in an attempt to apply the above device to assembly work, the NBS device (Vander Brug, GJ,
etal.“A Vision System for Real Time
Control of Robots”9th Int.Symp.on
Industrial Robots, pp213-230, 1979).
In order to completely detect the position and orientation of an object three-dimensionally using this device, it is necessary to move the robot arm carrying the detector and view the object from several different angles. It had the disadvantage of being time consuming.

Furthermore, as a device for detecting the position and orientation of an object without being affected by its color, there is a device that applies a light cutting method. This uses a detector consisting of a slit light source 1 and an imaging device 2, as shown in FIG. The intersection line of the light beam 3 projected from the slit light source 1 on the flat plate (hereinafter referred to as slit light) and the surface of the object, that is, the light cutting line 4, is diagonal to form a certain angle with the optical axis of the slit light 3. When an image is captured by the imaging device 2 from the direction, a cross-sectional shape of the object is obtained, for example, as shown in FIG. Since the farther a point is from the detector, the higher the position is on the image, this light cutting waveform is extracted and points a,
By detecting and processing the position of a' on the image, the distance to the object and the position in the left and right direction can be detected. Furthermore, by detecting the angle θ, the rotation angle of the surface of the object 5 around an axis perpendicular to the plane formed by the slit light 3 can be detected.

As shown in FIG. 3, two slit light sources 1a and 1b are combined to create cross-shaped slit lights 3a and 3b that intersect with each other.
3b, two imaging devices 2a and 2b are arranged to image two sets of optical cutting lines. With this configuration, the rotation angle of the object surface around two axes perpendicular to each of two non-parallel planes can be detected, so the attitude of the object can be determined three-dimensionally without moving the detector. Can be detected. In addition to the distance to the object, it is also possible to detect the size and position of the object in two directions.

However, such a configuration requires two slit light sources and two imaging devices, which has the disadvantage of increasing the size of the detector. Therefore, when the relative positional relationship between an object to be worked on and a robot hand is to be accurately determined using a detector attached to the robot hand, there is a drawback that it is difficult to use the detector with the above-described configuration.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and provides a small and lightweight visual device that can detect the three-dimensional position and orientation of an object at high speed without being affected by the object's color or brightness. It is intended to.

[Summary of the invention]

That is, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following features:
Each includes a light emitting diode group consisting of a plurality of linearly arranged light emitting diodes and an optical system that converts the light generated from the light emitting diode group into a flat light beam, and converts at least two flat light beams that are not parallel to each other. It has a plurality of light irradiation means formed to intersect with each other and an imaging optical axis having a desired inclination angle with respect to each of the two flat light beams irradiated by the light irradiation means, and the above-mentioned an imaging means for capturing an optical image of the intersection line between the two flat light beams irradiated by each of the light irradiation means and the surface of the target object and converting it into an electrical signal; a light beam switching means for switching and irradiating two light beams, a separating and extracting means for separating and extracting a bright cutting line signal on the image from the electrical signal obtained from the imaging means, and a separation and extraction means for separating and extracting a bright cutting line signal on the image captured by the imaging means, storage means for storing the correspondence between the position information of the target object and a calculation means for analyzing the position and orientation of the target object from the correspondence between the cutting line signal separated and extracted by the separation and extraction means and the correspondence stored in the storage means. This is a visual device characterized by comprising: Therefore, the light source can be made smaller and lighter.
As a result, the entire visual system can be made smaller and lighter.
It is easy to install on robots, etc., and the position and orientation of the target object can be analyzed at high speed.
A robot or the like can perform work on the object, including checking whether the object is in a desired position and orientation.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An example of detecting the position and posture of an object using the robot vision device of the present invention will be described below.

Here, in order to make the explanation easier to understand, the apparatus configuration shown in FIG. 4 will be explained as an example. still,
The following explanation can be applied in exactly the same manner to the device configuration shown in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the robot vision device includes one imaging device, rotates two slit light sources 1a and 1b in the same direction around the line of intersection of the slit lights 3a and 3b, and The optical cutting line of the rotating slit lights 3a and 3b is detected by one imaging device. During detection, two slit light sources 1 are used to extract two sets of optical cutting lines independently.
A and 1b are switched alternately and issued one by one.
In addition, the cross-shaped slit lights 3a, 3 shown in FIG.
b may be obtained by slit light sources 1a and 1b arranged in an inverted figure-eight shape as shown in FIG. That is,
In FIG. 4, slit light sources 1a, 1b forming slit lights 3a, 3b are connected to slit light sources 1a, 1b.
3b, and the slit light sources 1a, 1
As long as the angle between b and the optical axis 8 of the imaging device is smaller than 90°, it can be moved and placed anywhere.

In FIG. 4, two slit light sources 1a, 1
In the case where one each of ``b'' is issued, the correspondence between the light cutting line detected by the imaging device 2 and the actual position of the object is as shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b.
It becomes a diagonal grid pattern. Figure 6a shows the slit light source 1.
Fig. 6b is a diagram showing the correspondence between the detected image and the xz coordinates when the slit light source 1b is emitted by using equidistant lines and equispaced lines in the xz plane. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the correspondence between detected images and yz coordinates using equidistant lines and equispaced lines on the yz plane. Hereinafter, FIG. 6a will be explained. The same applies to FIG. 6b. In other words, Figure 6a shows the equidistant line diagram (z coordinate) and the equispaced line diagram (in this case, regarding the x coordinate) shown in Figures 8 and 9 as one diagram for convenience. It is something. These generation methods will be described later, and the contents of each will be explained here.
The individual downward-sloping straight lines in the equidistant diagram shown in Figure 8 are points at which the actual z-coordinate (see Figure 7) remains constant no matter where on the line the optical section line is detected. (equidistant points). The intervals between these straight lines indicate constant distance intervals in the z-coordinate, and correspond to a small z-coordinate becoming a large z-coordinate as you go from the lower left straight line to the upper right straight line. Although Fig. 8 shows a group of straight lines corresponding to the z-coordinates at regular intervals, in reality, as will be described later, these lines are interpolated approximately, and the light cutting line is detected at which point on the image. Also, the actual z-coordinate of that point can be calculated. For the approximation method, Eq.
This will be described later using (1) and FIG. On the other hand, the 9th
In the monospaced line diagram shown in the figure, each straight line is
The actual x-coordinate (see Figure 7) indicates a constant point. The straight line in the center indicates x=0 (on the imaging optical axis), and the interval between these straight lines is x=0 (on the imaging optical axis).
A constant interval in the x coordinate is shown with 0 as the center line, and the straight line on the right corresponds to the x coordinate in the negative direction, and the straight line on the left corresponds to the x coordinate in the positive direction. Similar to Fig. 8, Fig. 9 is explained as a group of straight lines corresponding to x-coordinates at regular intervals, but in reality, interpolation is performed between these lines, and no matter which point on the image the light cutting line is detected. , the actual x-coordinate of that point can be calculated. By referring to the equidistant line diagram and the equispaced line diagram described above, the position of the detected light section line on the image can be converted into the actual z-coordinate and x-coordinate. The same applies to FIG. 6b, and in this case it can be converted into z and y coordinates. These correspondence relationships are determined in advance using an object whose dimensions are known while changing its position from the detector, and are stored in a storage device.
When detecting the position and orientation of an object, the actual position of the object is determined by comparing the correspondence relationship stored in advance with the position on the image of the optical cutting line detected by the imaging device 2. You can find the slope. In the present invention, two slit lights 3
A and 3b are switched to emit light, and the distance, position, and inclination to the object on two planes that are not parallel to each other are determined, so the three-dimensional position and orientation of the object can be uniquely determined from these.

Note that in the present invention, two slit lights 3a and 3b are used.
It is assumed that the detector or the object is roughly aligned in advance so that the intersection line 6 of The posture shall be detected precisely.

Next, a method for determining the correspondence between the position of the detected light section line on the image and the actual position of the object will be explained using FIG. Here, the fourth
Although only the case of the slit light source 1a shown in the figure will be described, the same applies to the slit light source 1b shown in FIG. 4 and the slit light sources 1a and 1b shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, a coordinate system xyz is assumed in which the intersection line 5 of two slit beams coincides with the z-axis and the slit beam 3a from the slit light source 1a coincides with the xz plane. First, as shown in FIG. 7, a plane 6 that is perpendicular to the z-axis and wider than the field of view of the imaging device 2 is
is placed on a scaled rail 7 so that it can be moved in parallel in the z-axis direction. If the position of the light cutting line on the detected image is determined while moving the plane 6 away from the detector in steps of, for example, 1 cm, an equidistant line diagram as shown in FIG. 8 will be obtained. Next, the plane 6 is made into a rectangle with a constant width, and such rectangles are prepared in several widths, and they are also erected perpendicularly to the z-axis on the rail 7 and moved in the z-axis direction. For example, the width measured in the x-axis direction of the plane 6 is in steps of 2 cm,
When the locus of the end point of the light cutting line detected when each plane 6 is moved in the z-axis direction is found, the ninth
A monospaced plot (with respect to the x-coordinate) as shown in the figure is obtained. In the equidistant line diagram shown in Figure 8 and the equispaced line diagram shown in Figure 9, a certain horizontal line on the diagram
When looking at changes in distance along hh' and position in the x direction, the results are shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, respectively. These are expressed as a distance function z at the vertical coordinate j on the diagram and a function x of the position in the x direction,
Expressing the horizontal coordinate i on the diagram as a variable, z _j = f (i) = a _j0 + a _j1 i + a _j2 i ² + a _j3 i ³ ...(1) x _j = g (i) = b _j0 +b _j1 i+b _j2 i ² +b _j3 i ³ ...(2) It can be approximated as follows. The degree of approximation is determined by the required detection accuracy. For every j on the diagram (for example, j = 1 to 256),
If a _jo , b _jo (n = 0, 1, 2, ...) are calculated in advance using the above method, then z can be calculated from the detected light cutting line using equations (1) and (2). The direction and position in the x direction can be determined. Furthermore, when determining the inclination of a plane constituting the object to be detected, from the actual coordinates (x, z) (x', z') of the end points of the light section line determined as above, θ _x =tan ^-1 z'-z/x'-x (3) The angle between that plane and the x-axis can be found.

Next, the means for extracting the optical cutting line from the detected image will be specifically explained. In this case as well, the case of the one-sided slit beam 3a shown in FIG. 4 will be explained. The optical cutting line imaged by the imaging device 2 may vary depending on the width of the slit light, the blur of the optical system, etc.
Generally, it has a certain range. Therefore, the horizontal scanning direction of the imaging device 2 is determined by the line shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.
They are arranged so as to coincide with the direction of hh' (horizontal direction), and the coordinates i of the peak positions (that is, the brightest points) of each horizontal scanning signal are set to the optical cutting line at j and the position i (see FIG. 12). In this way, the coordinates of the position of the light section line for calculating equations (1) and (2) are extracted.

Next, the process of detecting the three-dimensional position and orientation of an object by the robot vision device of the present invention will be described as follows: Detection of a cylindrical object 9 shown in FIG. 13 and a circular hole 10 on a plane shown in FIG. This will be explained using an example.

First, a method for detecting the position and orientation of the cylindrical object 9 will be explained. Slit light 3a shown in FIG.
Suppose that when the light is projected, for example, a light cut image as shown by the solid line A in FIG. 15 is detected by the imaging device 2. In FIG. 16, the position of the brightest point in the horizontal direction is detected as described above, and the shape of the light section line is extracted, as shown in FIG. 16. The waveform shown in Fig. 16 is approximated by a broken line, and the coordinates (i, j) of the end points of each line segment are
When converted into actual coordinates (x, z) using equations (1) and (2) determined in advance, it becomes as shown in FIG. 17. In this figure, the approximate center position of the upper surface of the cylindrical object 9 in the x direction is determined from the line segment A with the smallest z coordinate, that is, the midpoint of the line segment closest to the detector. Furthermore, the inclination of the object 9 in the xz plane is determined using equation (3). Next, by switching the slit light source and performing the same detection on the optically sectioned image (indicated by the broken line B in FIG. 15) obtained for the other slit light 3b shown in FIG. The approximate center position in the y direction of the upper surface of object 9 and the inclination of object 9 in the yz plane are determined. Furthermore, based on the above detection results, the distance z from the detector to the center position of the top surface of the object 9
When the top surface of the cylindrical object 9 is almost perpendicular to the z-axis, z=z ₁ +z ₂ /2 + z ₄ −z ₃ /y ₂ −y ₁・y ₁ +y ₂ /2...
(4) Or, z= _z3 + _z4 /2+ _z2 - _z1 / _x2 - _x1・_x1 + _x2 /2...
(5) is obtained as. Here, x ₁ and x ₂ are the optically sectioned images (15th
This is the x coordinate of the end point of A) shown in the figure, and y ₁ and y ₂ are yz
y of the end point of the plane optically sectioned image (B shown in Figure 15)
The coordinates are z ₁ , z ₂ , z ₃ , and z ₄ each representing the z coordinates of the four end points. From the above detection results, if the inclinations of the top surface of the cylindrical object 9 in the xz plane and the yz plane are significantly different from 90 degrees, the method for determining the center position from the midpoint of the light section line and the distance using equation (4) or (5) If it is determined that the error in the calculation cannot be ignored, the robot arm is moved according to the detected inclination result, and the z-axis, that is, the slit beams 3a, 3
The intersection line b is made almost perpendicular to the surface, and the center position and distance are detected again.

Next, a method for detecting the center position and direction of the circular hole 10 perpendicular to the plane shown in FIG. 14 will be described. Figure 18 is the first
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a light section line obtained when the hole 10 shown in FIG. 4 is imaged by an imaging device. In this case, as in the previous example, two sets of optically sectioned images on the xz plane and the yz plane are detected independently by switching the slit light source. The solid line and broken line in FIG. 18 indicate two sets of optically sectioned images obtained in this manner. In the same figure, the line segment connecting points a ₁ and a ₂ and the line segment connecting points b ₁ and b ₂ are respectively
By performing processing corresponding to the line segments A and B in FIG. 5, the position of the hole 10 and the direction in which the hole is formed can be detected in exactly the same manner.

Below, specific embodiments of the robot vision device of the present invention will be described. First, the overall structure and operation of the apparatus will be explained, and then the specific structure of each part of the detector will be described.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the overall configuration of a robot visual system according to the present invention. The detector is composed of an imaging device 2 and slit light sources 1a and 1b, and is arranged and constructed as follows. That is, (1) The intersection line 5 of the planes formed by the two slit beams 3a and 3b is made to coincide with the rotation axis of the gripper 18 of the robot.

(2) The optical axes 8a, 8b of the slit light sources 1a, 1b and the optical axis 8c of the imaging device 2 are the slit light 3a,
3b intersect at approximately one point on the intersection line 5.

(3) The optical axes 8a, 8b of the slit light sources 1a, 1b and the optical axis 8c of the imaging device 2 are on the same plane.

(4) The angle between the optical axis 8a of the slit light source 1a and the intersection line 5 of the slit light, and the optical axis 8 of the slit light source 1b.
The angle formed by b and the intersection line 5 of the slit light is equal.

(5) The angle between the optical axis 8a of the slit light source 1a and the optical axis 8c of the imaging device 2 is equal to the angle between the optical axis 8b of the slit light source 1b and the optical axis 8c of the imaging device 2.

A detector is configured on the robot arm 11 with the arrangement as described above. Other modified examples of the detector configuration method include logically possible 1 to 4 of the above (1) to (5).
There are several combinations. Further, in FIG. 19, the detector is fixed to a portion of the robot that rotates the gripper 18, but it may be fixed on the gripper 18 and rotated together with the gripper 18.

The entire robot visual system consists of a microcomputer (or minicomputer) 1 in Fig. 19.
5. That is, the slit light cutting device 13 is controlled so that the slit light sources 1a and 1b emit light one by one, and each light cut image is detected by the imaging device 2. The detected image signal is input to the optical cutting line extraction circuit 14, and the optical cutting waveform is input to the microcomputer 15.
The optical cutting line extraction circuit 14 compresses two-dimensional image data into one-dimensional waveform data according to the method described above, and may use the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 146427-1982. . The two sets of optical section line waveform data thus obtained are processed in the microcomputer 15 according to the procedure described above. In other words, after the polygonal line approximation of the waveform data, Equation (1)
- (5) are performed to detect the three-dimensional position and orientation of the object, and the data 17 is output to the control device of the robot arm mechanism. Coefficients a _jo , b _jo (j=0, 1, 2, 3..., n=
0, 1, 2, 3...) are obtained in advance by the method described above, stored in the storage device 16, and read out and used as needed.

Next, the operation of the robot vision device of this embodiment will be explained in detail.

Before detecting the object, as already explained, the coefficients a _jo and b _jo (and the coefficient of y _j obtained in the same way) shown in equations (1) and (2) are stored in the storage device 16. Work is required. Using the device shown in FIG. 7, operate and fix the robot so that the line of intersection 5 of the slit beams is parallel to the rail 7, and use the method already explained to draw the equidistant diagram shown in FIG. 8 and the equidistant diagram shown in FIG. Find the monospaced line diagram shown in . This operation is switched by the slit switching device 13 and is performed for each of the two slit beams 3a and 3b. Next, based on these data,
The microcomputer 15 performs polynomial approximation, and the coefficients a _jo and b _jo of equations (1) and (2) for each j are determined and stored in the storage device 16.

In the process of detecting the target object, as already explained using FIGS. 13 and 14 as examples, the microcomputer 15 controls the slit light cutting device 13 to cause the two sets of slit light sources 1a and 1b to emit light, respectively. A photosection waveform based on the photosection image of the case is obtained by the photosection line extraction circuit 14, and after this is approximated by a broken line by the microcomputer 15, the actual position coordinates of each line segment are stored in the storage device 16. It is calculated using equations (1) and (2) (and similar equations for finding y _j ) based on the stored coefficients a _jo and b _jo .
The microcomputer 15 selects one line segment on the target object from among the line segments when the two sets of slit light sources 1a and 1b are made to emit light, using the distance z as a criterion (usually, the line segment closest to the detector The position and orientation of the target object are detected by calculating equations (3) to (5) and the midpoint of the line segment from the four end points of each line segment (close to the center of the field of view). and outputs it to the control device of the robot arm mechanism.

Next, the specific configuration of each part of the detector will be explained.

By using a TV camera as the imaging device 2 and making the horizontal scanning direction coincide with the direction of i shown in FIG. 12, the optical cutting line can be detected at high speed. Of course, a two-dimensional image detector other than a TV camera, such as a combination of a one-dimensional photodiode array and a galvanometer mirror, may also be used. Among TV cameras, those using two-dimensional solid-state image sensors in particular have (a) earthquake resistance and impact resistance, (b) lifespan, (c) image distortion,
It is superior to those using electron tubes in five aspects: (d) small size and light weight, and (e) power saving. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a specific example of an imaging device using a two-dimensional solid-state image sensor 19. In this specific example, the parts mounted on the robot arm include a two-dimensional solid-state image sensor 19 excluding the TV camera control unit 22, and a front image signal amplifier 2, as shown in FIG.
0 and the synchronous drive signal waveform shaping circuit 21,
Efforts are also being made to make it smaller and lighter. In FIG. 20, the front image signal amplifier 20 is mounted on a substrate 23a, the two-dimensional solid-state image sensor 19 and the synchronous drive signal waveform shaping circuit 21 are mounted on a substrate 23b, and are fixed on the back cover 25 with a support 24. ing. A connector 26 is attached to the back cover 25,
All signals and power are supplied via this connector 26. In addition, the back cover 25 and the outer frame 2
7 is made of a non-metallic material such as plastic with copper foil for electrostatic shielding applied to the inner surface (or metal plating applied). Furthermore, the imaging lens 28 can also be made of plastic. As described above, if the imaging device according to this embodiment is used, earthquake resistance and
In addition to features such as impact resistance, long life, low image distortion, and low power consumption, it also has the effect of significantly reducing the size and weight of the detector.

Next, the specific configuration of the slit light sources 1a and 1b will be explained. As a light source, halogen lamps, discharge tubes, light-emitting diodes, etc. can be used, but light-emitting diodes are the best in three respects: (a) earthquake resistance and impact resistance, (b) longevity, and (c) compactness and lightness. Are better. .
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a specific example of a slit light source using a light emitting diode. light emitting diode 29
A high-output infrared emitting type is used for this purpose. The maximum sensitivity wavelength of a two-dimensional solid-state image sensor is usually
Since the wavelength is around 800 nm, detection sensitivity can be maximized by using a light emitting diode with this wavelength. 22nd
As shown in the figure, a plurality of light emitting diodes 29 are arranged in a line so as to coincide with the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical lens 30. In the plan view shown in FIG. 22a, the light emitting diode 29 and the slit 31
is in an imaging relationship with respect to the cylindrical lens 30. Further, the position of the imaging plane 32 is set to the approximate position of the object, and the imaging plane 32 and the slit 31 are in an imaging relationship with respect to the imaging lens 33. By employing the above configuration, the light emitted from the light emitting diode 29 can be efficiently collected to form slit light, so that in addition to the above three characteristics, a bright slit light source can be realized. Furthermore, by using a lens-based light emitting diode 29 with strong directivity, an even more powerful slit light source can be realized.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing another specific example of a slit light source using a light emitting diode. As shown in FIG. 23, a plurality of light emitting diodes 29 are inserted into the slit 31.
The slit 31 and the imaging surface 32 are in an imaging relationship with respect to the imaging lens 33. Further, the cylindrical lens 30 is inserted between the imaging lens 33 and the slit 31 so that the slit light does not become uneven on the imaging surface 32. In this specific example, if the imaging relationship of the imaging plane 32 is out of order, the slit light may become uneven, but this can be ignored in the present invention, which detects the position of the optical cutting line. According to this specific example,
As is clear from the comparison with FIG. 22, the length in the optical axis direction can be shortened, and the light emitting diode 29
In addition to the features of the slit light source, it also has the feature of making the slit light source significantly smaller.

In addition, similar to the imaging device, if the outer frame is made of non-metallic material such as plastic, the detector can be made significantly smaller and smaller.
It has the effect of being lightweight.

Note that in the specific examples of the slit light source shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the slit light does not have a perfect flat shape. This problem can be avoided by not making the diameter of the imaging lens 33 larger than necessary.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, each light emitting diode group including a plurality of linearly arranged light emitting diodes and an optical system that converts the light generated from the light emitting diode group into a flat light beam are provided, and at least two light emitting diodes that are not parallel to each other are provided. a plurality of light irradiation means formed to irradiate flat light rays so as to intersect with each other; and an imaging optical axis having a desired inclination angle with respect to each of the two flat light rays irradiated by the respective light irradiation means. and imaging means for capturing an optical image of the intersection line between the two flat light beams irradiated by each light irradiation means and the surface of the target object and converting it into an electrical signal, By analyzing the cutting line, it is possible to detect the position and orientation of the target object within a plane without being affected by the color or surface condition of the target object, without moving the detector or the target object. Moreover, the light source can be made smaller and lighter,
As a result, the entire visual system can be made smaller and lighter.
It is easy to install on robots, etc., and the position and orientation of the target object can be analyzed at high speed.
This has the effect that a robot or the like can perform work on the target object, including checking whether the target object is in a desired position and orientation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the detector of the robot vision device using the light sectioning method, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the detected image of the detector shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the detector using the light sectioning method. A perspective view showing two sets of combined detectors;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a detector based on the principle of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the basic configuration of a detector according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an equidistant line of the detector shown in FIG. 4. Figure 7 is a perspective view of a detector that obtains equidistant lines and equidistant lines; Figure 8 is an example of equidistant lines; Figure 9 is an example of equidistant lines. Figure 10 is a diagram showing the change in the equidistant line shown in Figure 8, Figure 11 is a diagram showing the change in the equidistant line shown in Figure 9, and Figure 12 is a diagram showing the method for extracting the light cutting line. Figures 13 and 14 are diagrams showing examples of objects to be detected, Figures 15, 16, and 17 are diagrams showing examples of objects to be detected.
A diagram showing the detection processing process of the detection target object shown in the figure,
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a detected image of the object to be detected shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the overall configuration of the robot visual device of the present invention, and FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the robot visual device of the present invention. 21 is a block diagram showing the imaging device shown in FIG. 20, and FIGS. 22a and 23a show a slit used in the detector of the robot vision device of the present invention. FIGS. 22b and 23b are plan views showing specific examples of the light source, and front views showing specific examples of the slit light source used in the detector of the robot vision device of the present invention. 1... Slit light source, 2... Imaging device, 3a,
3b... Slit light, 4... Light cutting line, 5... Intersection line of slit light, 6... Light, 7... Rail with scale, 8a, 8b, 8c... Optical axis, 9, 10...
...Target object, 11... Robot arm, 12...
Gripper rotation axis, 13... Slit optical cutting device, 14... Optical cutting line extraction circuit, 15... Microcomputer, 16... Storage device, 17... Detection data, 18... Gripper, 19... Two-dimensional Solid-state image sensor, 20... Front image signal imager, 21... Synchronization signal waveform shaping circuit, 22...
TV camera control unit, 23a, 23b... board, 24... support, 25... back cover, 26... connector, 27... outer frame, 28, 33... imaging lens, 29... light emitting diode, 30... ...Cylindrical lens, 31...Slit, 32...Imaging surface.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A light emitting diode group consisting of a plurality of linearly arranged light emitting diodes and an optical system that converts the light generated from the light emitting diode group into a flat light beam, each of which has at least two light beams that are not parallel to each other. a plurality of light irradiation means formed to irradiate two flat light rays so as to intersect with each other, and imaging light having a desired inclination angle with respect to each of the two flat light rays irradiated by the respective light irradiation means; an imaging means that has an axis and that captures an optical image of the intersection line between the two flat light rays irradiated by each of the light irradiation means and the surface of the target object and converts it into an electrical signal; a light beam switching means for switching and irradiating two light beams irradiated from the irradiation means; a separation and extraction means for separating and extracting a bright cutting line signal on the image from the electric signal obtained from the imaging means; and an imaging means for capturing an image. A storage means for storing the correspondence between the position information on the image and the actual position information, and a position of the target object based on the correspondence between the cutting line signal separated and extracted by the separation and extraction means and the correspondence stored in the storage means. and a calculation means for analyzing posture. 2. Claim 1, wherein the imaging means is formed by a two-dimensional solid-state image sensor.
Visual device as described in section. 3. Each light-emitting diode group consisting of a plurality of linearly arranged light-emitting diodes and an optical system that converts the light generated from the light-emitting diode group into flat light beams, and at least two flat light beams that are not parallel to each other. a plurality of light irradiation means formed to irradiate so as to intersect with each other; an imaging optical axis having a desired inclination angle with respect to each of the two flat light beams irradiated by each of the light irradiation means; An imaging means for capturing an optical image of the intersection line between the two light rays irradiated by each light irradiation means and the surface of the target object and converting it into an electrical signal is provided on the operating member of the robot, and each of the light irradiation means a light beam switching means for switching and irradiating two light beams irradiated from the imaging means; a separation and extraction means for separating and extracting a bright cutting line signal on the image from the electric signal obtained from the imaging means; and an image captured by the root imaging means. storage means for storing the correspondence between the above location information and the actual location information;
a calculation means for analyzing the position and orientation of the target object from the cutting line signals separated and extracted by the separation and extraction means and the correspondence stored in the storage means; A visual device comprising robot control means for controlling the robot based on its position and orientation. 4 Claim 3, characterized in that the imaging means is formed by a two-dimensional solid-state image sensor.
Visual device as described in section.